I Would Rather Be Ashes Than Dust

Sometimes it seems nothing in this world is as straight-forward as it should be. I’ve taken Jack London’s Credo as an indisputable quote for a long while now. Apparently the authenticity is up for debate. Regardless, this is a great way to view life:

I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.

(Mostly)

One sentence bugs, though. “I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.” If we’re talking chemotherapy for a cancer that cannot be defeated, I get it. Why go through the agony of that treatment if it will only add to your misery? If we’re talking about eating less salt and less fat, drinking less whiskey and more water, and exercising, that seems like an acceptable tradeoff to me.